Teacher Charged With Teen Abuse | Joplin News

Joplin News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 20, 2026 · 1m

A thirty-five-year-old Ottawa County teacher, Melanie Friend, has been charged with child sexual abuse after allegedly engaging in a sexual relationship with a sixteen-year-old student. She confessed to investigators that the encounter occurred in June 2025, describing it as “one thing led to another.” The teen reported being hugged from behind and pulled onto Friend’s lap, while Friend admitted to staying overnight in the student’s room but claimed she always remained on top of the covers. Her husband said they’d been arguing for a year over her late-night stays in the student’s room and…